The present invention relates generally to gambling accessories. More specifically, the present invention pertains to casino gaming chips. The present invention is particularly, though not exclusively, useful for a dealer or pit boss to monitor the time that an individual gambler spends away from a gaming table during a break.
In the latter half of the twentieth century, legalized gambling has become a huge industry with billions of dollars wagered each year. For many people, gambling is a serious past time that requires a serious investment of time and patience. Many times, in casinos, gamblers will sit at poker and black jack tables for hours and hours deep within a lucky streak or waiting for one to begin. In crowded casinos, seats at these tables may be hard to come by and prospective gamblers may often have to wait for a chance to enter a particular card game.
Unfortunately, when gambling for extended periods of time in casinos, the gamblers will have to take periodic breaks. Many casinos will allow these gamblers to reserve their seats at a table for a set amount of time, e.g., ten minutes (10 min.), fifteen minutes (15 min.), twenty minutes (20 min.), etc. During these breaks, a prospective gambler is prevented from taking someone""s seat while he or she briefly steps away from the table.
In order to be fair to the waiting gamblers, the dealers have to monitor the elapsed time for someone""s break, so that the breaking gamblers will not be away from the tables too long. This monitoring must be done while the dealer continues to deal, collect chips, pay out chips and otherwise maintain order on the casino floor. Because of all these distractions, however, it becomes difficult to accurately monitor the elapsed time for a particular gambler""s break from the table. Moreover, it becomes more difficult to maintain the elapsed break time for more than one gambler at a time.
In response to the above problems, there is a need for a device that can be used to accurately monitor the elapsed time for a gambler""s break from a gaming table. There is also a need for a device that can be used to accurately monitor the break time for more than one gambler at a time. Finally, there is a need for a device for monitoring the break time of gamblers that can be easily dispensed, retrieved and stored by the casino dealers.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming chip with built-in timer that will accurately maintain the break time of individual gamblers. It is another object of the present invention to provide a gaming chip with built-in timer that is unobtrusive. It is another object of the present invention to provide a gaming chip with built-in timer that will fit in standard sized gaming chip storage trays in order to facilitate their storage. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a gaming chip with built-in timer that is easy to manufacture, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive.
The gaming chip with built-in timer of the present invention includes a circular cylindrical body with an upper surface, a lower surface, and a continuous sidewall. Additionally, the gaming chip with built-in timer has a diameter and a thickness that are approximately the same as the diameter and thickness of a standard sized casino gaming chip, which allows it to be stored in a standard size chip tray.
Incorporated into the body of the gaming chip is a timer, a start button, a stop button, and a reset button. Each of these is oriented so that it faces upward and each may be flush with the top surface of the circular cylindrical body. The timer may either be a count-down timer or a count-up timer with a LED or LCD display. The timer may be activated by pressing the start button and deactivated by pressing the stop button. If necessary, the timer may be reset by pressing the reset button.
The gaming chip with built-in timer may also include an alarm which transmits an audible beep through a hole formed in the upper surface of the circular cylindrical body. During use, a single gaming chip with built-in timer may be used to mark a seat vacated by a gambler on a break. If more than one gambler vacates his or her seat during a break more than one gaming chip with built-in timer may be used to reserve the empty seats.
The gaming chip with built-in timer of the present invention overcomes the problems mentioned above because it provides an unobtrusive device that can be used to accurately track the break time of one or more gamblers. Moreover, the gaming chip with built-timer of the present invention provides a device that will fit in standard sized gaming chip trays to facilitate their storage. Finally, the gaming chip with built-in timer provides a device that is easy to manufacture, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive.